Pumpkin Bread with Oatmeal Topping

I’m pretty sure you can’t have a food blog in the fall without a pumpkin bread recipe. I wanted to try something a little different. I try to cut out butter/or fat in my recipes to keep them light. Some just need it, others not as much. This didn’t need any. I usually substitute butter with applesauce but I decided to try an overripe banana instead. It worked perfectly! It gave the pumpkin a little extra flavor and helped keep the bread moist. The real treat is the oatmeal topping though. If you are eating gluten-free, watch your oats. Oats in general are gluten free but most are manufactured in wheat processing facilities. I learned the hard way that cross-contamination can be a BIG problem! I use oats that are processed in a dedicated gluten free facility. I used a GF all purpose flour blend that substitutes 1:1 for regular all purpose flour – so don’t think you can’t enjoy this just because you don’t want a recipe using gluten free flour! Makes 1 loaf.

2 cups GF all purpose flour

½ cup stevia or sugar
2 tsp xanthan gum (omit if using regular flour)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
½ cup banana, mashed (about 1 large)
1 can pure pumpkin (or 1.5 cups)
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup molasses
2 eggs
¼ cup almond milk
½ cup chopped pecans
Topping
1/3 cup GF oats
2 Tbsp butter (I used dairy free or substitute coconut oil), melted
¼ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
½ tsp cinnamon

• In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
• Add in banana, pumpkin, syrup, molasses, eggs and almond milk. Mix on medium speed until just blended.
• Fold in pecans and pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan.
• In a small bowl, combine butter, oats, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle topping over bread batter.
• Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes or until bread is cooked through.
• Cover with foil half way through baking to prevent overbrowning.